US Partner News for Friday, August 16, 2013

Welcome to this week’s issue of the US Partner News! You’ll now find the US Partner News here every Friday. You can come directly to just the newsletter posts at http://aka.ms/uspnewsletter, and you can subscribe to receive all our blog posts with your email address (go to http://aka.ms/uspblog, and you’ll see this option under “Subscribe and follow,” on the right).

New Sales Accreditations Coming this YearThe Microsoft Sales Specialist and Microsoft Presales Specialist programs continue to evolve. Find out what new accreditations for each will be coming in the next 12 months, what’s being refreshed, and how accreditations benefit your business.

Microsoft Partner Network Disclosure Guide – Redesign of the Microsoft Action Pack SubscriptionA new version of the Microsoft Action Pack Subscription (MAPS) is coming later this year. It will be a universal subscription with resources and benefits for partners emphasizing Microsoft Cloud Services and serving small and mid-market customers. The new MAPS will include six resource centers, aligned to partner business models. Read more about the MAPS changes in the downloadable disclosure guide.

Help SMB Customers Move to the Modern Desktop with Windows 8.1 and OfficeIt’s time for your customers to retire Windows XP and Office 2003, which reach end of support on April 8, 2014. Your customers deserve more mobility, connectivity, and security. Use the materials in the Get Modern with Windows 8.1 and Office campaign to help you talk to your customers and prospects about Windows 8.1 and Office 365.

Maximize Your MPN Membership with Your Benefits SummaryYour MPN membership includes benefits to help you build your business, generate demand, increase sales, and retain customers. Are you using everything that’s available to you? Your benefits summary can help you plan how to use your membership benefits. Sign in to the portal to download your company’s statement.

Deliver Top-Quality Microsoft Office 365 SupportThese resources will help you provide world-class customer support for Microsoft Office 365 and continually improve your overall support delivery, including service administration, deployment and implementation, and troubleshooting.

Training

August Hot Sheet – Find and Register for Upcoming TrainingThe Hot Sheet is a frequently updated schedule of live virtual and in-person training and informational calls that are coming in the next few weeks. Subscribe to the US Partner Learning blog to receive the Hot Sheet as soon as it’s published—the September issue will be available early next week.

Back to School Training SweepstakesEnter to win a $120 Amazon gift card when you take featured Microsoft Lync, Windows 8, or Windows Azure training. You will automatically receive an entry into the drawing for each course you complete from our list of eligible courses. Sweepstakes ends October 4. Official rules.

Follow Our Plan to Get Cloud Certification in 90 DaysThe Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) certification validates your foundation of core technical skills and prepares you for a sustainable IT career. To help you get there, sign up for the 90 Days to MCSA program, a plan of action with a focus on Windows Server and SQL Server. The plan gives you a clear roadmap, tools and community support, all designed to help you achieve your MCSA goal at a pace that works.

This list provides a sampling of upcoming partner calls, training, and events for the next two weeks. Refer to the latest Hot Sheet for a comprehensive list for the next six weeks that’s frequently updated.

Watch this video from WPC 2013 featuring Microsoft partner, BlueMetal Architects, and find out how they are able to offer their customers solutions that meet their needs with Windows 8. “The main thing the Windows 8 platform offers…is integration with older, enterprise legacy software, and you can integrate those beautiful, modern UI applications along with those legacy applications, for a really great experience.”